Hall of Famer Bob Lilly lauds J.J. Watt’s style of play

Bob Lilly was named to the All-Pro first team seven times, he went to 11 Pro Bowls and he was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as soon as he was eligible. Still, the Dallas Cowboy legend said Saturday night that J. J. Watt “is better than I was,” adding: “He’s got all the qualities I’ve seen that are in Canton, Ohio.”

Lilly compared Watt to Randy White, another storied Cowboy who’s in Hall of Fame but added, “he’s a little bigger (than White). They’re all bigger and stronger than we were. Heck, I didn’t lift weights until 1967 (Lilly’s sixth season in the NFL).”

Lilly played 14 seasons, from 1961 through 1974, without missing a game so, understandably, he said what he looks for when he judges players is “durability. The players you win with are the ones that are durable. They hold up. They’re leaders. (Watt has) all the ability in the world. He’s big, strong, fast and smart. He’s a team player. You can’t just have a coach who’s fiery. You’ve got to have players who are motivated and aggressive and motivate the rest of the team. He’s got all of that. He’s a very, very good football player.

“I only watch about five games a year, but I like to watch him when I can. He’s played enough now that you can tell (how good he is).”

Told of Lilly’s comments, Watt said: “Any time that one of the greats — I mean, Bob Lilly is one of the best ever to play — it’s an honor to have him say such kind things and have the respect of a guy like that. You always want a guy who’s played the game and knows the game, it means a lot coming from a guy like that.”

Watt barely broke a sweat Saturday night, but that was by design. Kubiak is being hyper-protective of the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year.

“He was ready to go,” Kubiak said. “I told him I’d let him rush the passer a couple of times and that’s what we did. He’ll play a little bit more this week (against New Orleans). He’s been dominant in camp. He’s been unbelievable.”

Lilly was at Reliant Stadium to be honored at halftime as a Texas Bowl Gridiron Legend for 2013. He’s recovering from a serious auto-immune disease that hospitalized him earlier this year.